Jane Redmon Demonstrates Sogetsu Ikebana

Jane Redmon is certified as a teacher, first degree, by the Sogetsu School of Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging. Ikebana arose in the Sixth Century with the introduction of Buddhism to Japan. Over the centuries the practice of Ikebana moved from the religious to the samurai classes, a simplified form was introduced in the Fifteenth Century for all classes, and in the late 19th Century the practice was included in the education of women. The Sogetsu School was established in 1929 by Sofu Teshigahara who taught Ikebana as a freer, expressive art form.

More traditional arrangements encompass three lines representing heaven, man and earth. Arrangements are composed of 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 or 9 elements and each element is usually represented by a similar number of units. For example, Redmon's first arrangement involved 3 protea and 5 chrysanthemums. Many practitioners avoid 4 elements because the Japanese word for 4 is similar to the word for death. Empty space is as much a part of an arrangement as is line and mass and color. In addition to natural plant materials, Sogetsu may include decorative man made forms and paper.